Childproofingyour home46 Right Choice September 2012 September 2012 Right Choice 47www.whichrightchoice.com www.whichrightchoice.com

We outline the essential safety equipment to childproofyour home, give you tips on how to keep your baby safe

and also explain child-safety product symbols

Parents make every possible effort to

ensure their children are safe,

particularly when they are outside

the security of their homes. But unseen

dangers can lurk even inside the house,

and it pays to childproof your home to

prevent mishaps. We’ve scoured the stores

to bring you the most useful child-safety

products and give you tips and tricks to

make sure that your home is safe for

your baby.

‘Children are the most creative

thinkers – using items in ways that are

not intended. So sticking their finger in a

power socket or pulling out a drawer and

CHILDPROOF HOMES

using it as support are things they will not

think twice about. Childproofing your

home, although not a substitute for adult

supervision, helps cut down the risks of

your child getting injured,’ says Niyatee

Sharma, designer and founder of Squiggle

Furniture, a furniture brand for children.

GETTING STARTEDFirst, take a baby’s eye-view of your home.

Get down on your hands and knees (at

your child’s eye level) and see if anything

harmful is within reach, or if there’s

something your child could get tangled up

in or trip over while crawling or walking.

Cupboards, drawers and sharp corners

need attention. This will help you notice

almost every lurking danger while

childproofing your house.

RISKS AND TIPSCHOKINGPut away tiny objects that your child could

pick off the floor and swallow, such as

coins, beads and paper clips. Make sure

pen caps are not lying around and are

tightly secured to the pen because they

could be choking hazards for the baby.

LOCKED-OUTFix a chain latch on top of the main door

to keep your baby from opening the door

and running out. You could also use knob

covers to ensure that your child doesn’t

turn the doorknob and lets himself out.

LOCKED-INLock the doors (the door latch should be

placed at a height so that the baby cannot

reach it and lock himself in). You can also

install door-slam stoppers to prevent your

baby from accidentally locking himself in

the house.

GERMSMake sure that the shoes worn outside the

house by family or guests are left at the

door, preferably on a shoe-rack. Our cities

are filled with filth and you don’t want

your baby to fall sick by crawling in muck

and possibly ingesting it.

SECURE WITH LATCHESSecure drawers, cabinets and refrigerators

with latches and loop locks. This way,

your child’s fingers cannot get jammed

when they try to open and close them.

A loop lock on doors, windows andcabinets can prevent pinched fingers

Buy sturdy cover plugsfor power sockets

WHATWE DID

We scoured the stores to bring you the most useful child-safety products tomake sure your home

is safe for your baby.

Arun

Harish

SUFFOCATIONPlastic bags and wrappers must go into

the bin immediately so that your baby

can’t get to them. These can put him at

risk of suffocation if he attempts to

swallow them.

UNSTABLE FURNITURE Arrange furniture and electronics by the

walls so that they don’t fall on your child if

he pulls on them for support. Also, avoid

placing any furniture by the window so

that your child does not try to climb up on

to the sill.

ELECTROCUTIONBuy sturdy cover plugs for power sockets

and remember to plug them back in after

using the socket. This is to prevent your

child from putting his fingers into the

power sockets.

‘KEEPING FURNITURE AWAY WAS NOT ENOUGH’Nagma Hasan, 27, a journalist from Mumbai anda mother of a 16-month-old boy, decided tochildproof her home after her son began to crawl.

‘My home is pretty spacious because wedon’t have too much furniture or decorativeitems. My husband and I felt that it was okay notto childproof our home because we thought ourson would be safe. But a couple of months afterhe began crawling, he accidentally banged hishead on the kitchen drawer while pulling it out,which led to a big bump. A few days later, his toegot caught in the door. He also began pulling at

the tablecloth and playing with the electricswitches. We realised that just keeping furnitureand electric cords away was not enough. Wethen consulted experts and checked the internetfor ways to childproof our house. I was surprisedto know about so many products available in themarket – at decent rates – for childproofing the house.

‘Children by nature are curious, and now,after childproofing our house, though we stillkeep a constant check on him, we are a bit morerelaxed when our son goes exploring around the house.’

Childrenneed to beprotectedfromcupboards,and sharpcorners

48 Right Choice September 2012 September 2012 Right Choice 49www.whichrightchoice.com www.whichrightchoice.com

CHILDPROOF HOMES

Illustra

tion an

d de

sign: Gyn

elle Alves

CHILDPROOF HOMES

50 Right Choice September 2012 September 2012 Right Choice 51www.whichrightchoice.com www.whichrightchoice.com

TOP FIVE USEFULBABY PRODUCTS

Mubashir Ahmedi, a

member of Toy Association

of India, Mumbai, lists the

safety concerns you should

be aware of before buying a

toy for your child.

n Read the recommended age group

mentioned on the packaging. Don’t

buy toys intended for older children

because they may have small parts

that can pose choking hazards.

n Use an empty toilet paper roll as a

measure for safety – anything that

filters through the roll is not safe for a

child under three.

n Make sure the child can’t open the

toy’s battery compartment. Don’t let

him sleep with a battery-operated toy.

n To store toys, use a toy box without a

lid because it might hurt your child.

Keep older siblings’ toys out of reach,

preferably in a separate room.

n Loud toys such as phones, horns or

squeaky rubber toys can produce high

levels of noise leading to damage and

even hearing loss. Always test the ‘Try

Me’ button to judge the level of noise.

Don’t let your child hold such toys

near their ears.

n Look for toys that are well-made with

tightly secured parts, for example,

While pre-packaged first-aid kits contain several essential items,it is good to add extra items, that you may require, to the kit.Another alternative is to build one from scratch (see ‘First Aid,First,’ May 2012, p66). Here is a list of things you would need for akit for babies.n Infant/child thermometer.n Liquid pain reliever for children recommended by

your doctor. n A decongestant or cough syrup recommended by

your doctor.

FIRST-AID KIT FOR BABIES

n Antibacterial cream for cuts and scrapes. n Medicated creams for nappies or diaper rashes. n A pair of sharp scissors. n ORS solution or powdered sachets that have been

recommended by your doctor in case your baby suffers fromdiarrhoea or dehydration.

n An assortment of sticky plasters and bandages. n Sterile gauze and cotton buds. n Oral syringe or calibrated cup or spoon for administering

medicine to infants and children.

GET A TEAM TO ASSESS IF YOUR HOME IS SAFE FOR BABYSafe Baby, a Mumbai-based company dedicated to making homes safe forchildren, was started two years ago by Sachin Agarwal and Shalini Ahuja Agarwal.‘We offer childproofing solutions for homes,’ says Sachin. ‘When we get a requestto childproof homes, we send a team to visit the place and take a look around.After a customised baby safety assessment, we point out all the possible hazardsand solutions for the same. We also offer child-safety products and conduct safetyand child CPR workshops for families, nannies and architects.’Contact (022) 40501000

dolls with fixed eyes and nose.

n Immediately discard plastic wrapping

on toys. Plastic wrappings can

cause suffocation.

SAFETY SYMBOLS FOR TOYSAND WHAT THEY MEAN

A manufacturer’s declaration

that its product meets the

basic European Union’s (EU) safety,

health or environmental requirements.

The ISI mark given by the

Bureau of Indian Standards

(BIS) is a third party guarantee of quality

before going on sale. BIS does quality

checks on the product and provides an

ISI mark.

This symbol is found on

batteries and toys containing

batteries. A marking with the

appropriate chemical symbol is required

for batteries containing more than

0.0005% mercury (Hg), more than

0.002% cadmium (Cd) and/or more than

0.004% lead (Pb).

This symbol indicates that the

product may be unsuitable for

children under three years

because it might contain small detachable

parts, which could be choking hazards

for children.

Toy safety

Test the‘Try Me’button tojudge thelevel ofnoise inloud toys

Our expert lists the thingsto look out for while buyingtoys for your baby

ELECTRIC STEAM STERILISER Using an electric steam steriliser kitcan be a quick and easy way tosterilise your baby’s bottles if you areusing formula or milk. They typicallycost between `2,500 and `5,000.

TRAVEL COTTravel cots are portable cots you canfold and put in a bag to take away. Theprice range varies depending on thebrand and design. It can cost between`5,000 and `12,000.

DIGITAL EAR THERMOMETERA digital ear thermometer gives aquick temperature reading for yourchild and helps identify signs of fever.They cost anywhere between `2,000and `3,500. For tips on what to stockin your baby’s first-aid kit see ‘First-aidkit for babies’, below.

BED RAIL SUPPORTERThe bed rail supporter protects yourchild from falling out of bed. It can besecured by straps under the mattressand adjusted to fit more beds. It costsanywhere between `3,500 and `5,000.

BABY CHANGE BAGThe advantage of a specificallydesigned baby change bag is that itusually has different compartments tohelp you find what you need quickly,plus many come with a foldawaychanging mat. Prices start from under`500, but you could spend over `3,000for a designer one.

ESSENTIALS FOR CHILDPROOFING YOUR HOMEOnce you’ve identified the risks, buying these useful gadgets will help you childproof your home and keep your baby safe. While you may beable to get by without them, these clever devices will give you added peace of mind. The costs can vary between `200 and `12,000. Theseproducts are available at all leading stores across the country.

DREAMBABY FLEXILOOP LOCKSPrice `199Use These window latchesensure that your childdoes not push openwindowsAvailability KinderHomes(kinderhomes.com), Mom& Me (momandme.in)

DREAMBABYREFRIGERATORLATCHESPrice `125Use Prevent children fromopening refrigeratorsAvailability Mom & Me(momandme.in)

DREAMBABY CORNER CUSHIONS

Price `150Use Affix corner cushions onsharp edges of your furniture Availability KinderHomes

(kinderhomes.com), Mom &Me (momandme.in),

hushbabies.com

DREAMBABYLATCHESPrice `275

Use They help to hold the toilet seat down

Availability Mom & Me(momandme.in)

DUCK SWITCHBOARD GUARDS

Price `200Use Outlet plugs tobe installed on allpower sockets toprevent shocks

AvailabilityMom &Me (momandme.in),

hushbabies.com

DREAMBABY DOORSTOPPERSPrice `275Use Prevent children fromaccidentally locking themselves inor out of a roomAvailabilityMom & Me(momandme.in), hushbabies.com

DREAMBABY NON-SLIP BATH

SUCTION MATSPrice `349

Use These anti-skid matsprotect your child from

fallingAvailability

KinderHomes(kinderhomes.com) DREAMBABY DOORKNOB COVERS

Price `299Use Prevent children from accessing areas suchas bathrooms, kitchens, and garages. Availability Mom & Me (momandme.in)

DREAMBABY MINIMULTIPURPOSE LATCHES

Price `275Use Install latches on cabinet drawers and

doors to prevent your baby fromslamming them.

Availability Mom & Me (momandme.in),KinderHomes (kinderhomes.com)